


Mischievous Maps, Moons, & Marauders: [Year One]

by cookie62843, moonylovespancakes, omfgsirius, padfootandmoony, Too_Gay_To_Function



Series: The Seven Glorious Years of Mischievous Maps, Moons, & Marauders [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M, MWPP, Marauders, Marauders' Era, wolfstar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-02
Updated: 2015-07-10
Packaged: 2018-04-07 01:28:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4244370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cookie62843/pseuds/cookie62843, https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonylovespancakes/pseuds/moonylovespancakes, https://archiveofourown.org/users/omfgsirius/pseuds/omfgsirius, https://archiveofourown.org/users/padfootandmoony/pseuds/padfootandmoony, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Too_Gay_To_Function/pseuds/Too_Gay_To_Function
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A detailed story of the Marauders' first year at Hogwarts.</p><p>*ON HIATUS FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS. WILL BE HEAVILY EDITED*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. For All We Know

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter title is from a song published by the Carpenters in 1971.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own none of the characters, settings, ideas, etc. It all belongs to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.
> 
> Also, I'd like to thank everyone who either submitted headcanons and volunteered for being a co-writer/beta. You'll be credited in the second chapter, most likely.

**James**

Kings Cross Station was already bustling with a steady crowd of students that were joined by their parents on Platform 9 ¾.  Autumn was just settling in the early month, the main reason for the cool breezes and the leaves already changing their colors to fit in with the new season. Inside the station, the noise level was unpredictable, but it wasn't due to the breeze this time. There were numerous people yelling and calling out to their family members. Some parents were saying their quick, quiet goodbyes before their children stepped onto the Hogwarts Express. 

A small boy in the corner of the station was a victim of the former. He was a small boy that held the look of unorganized hair and casual clothing that consisted of a simple pair of blue jeans and a plain, grey shirt. A larger woman stood next to him. Her clothing was of dress clothes that were saved for special occasions such as this. 

“Owl me sometime after you get there,” Mrs. Potter urged, her fingers messing at her son’s hair. Her bright red nails stood out against his dark brown hair. “Why won’t this ever stay down?” No matter what she tried, James’ hair insisted on sticking up in an array of different directions. It was like that constantly, but it never stopped her from trying to find ways to fix it.

The eleven year old wizard in front of her squirmed this way and that, trying to dodge her persistent hands. “Mum, mum, mum, mum," he urged multiple times in a multiple number of different tones to try and get her attention as he moved this way and that, his hands trying to fend off her's as best as he could. "I’m fine,” he promised.

Mrs. Potter nodded, frantically, trying to hold back tears. “I know. It’s just...I’m not used to seeing you so grown up.” She slipped her hand into the breast pocket of her red and black polka-dotted blouse, pulling out a stark white handkerchief. She gently dabbed the corner of her eye.

James’ cheeks became bright pink when she reached forward and pinched his right cheek. This was a tender moment for Mrs. Potter to see her son finally being shipped off to Hogwarts, like she had been. To James Potter though, this was one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. He looked over to see a girl with dark red hair looking at him, giggling behind her hand. Turning back to his mother, he pulled away from her hand.

“Mum, I have to go,” he quickly said, embarrassed. “I’ll owl you when I get there. Bye!” James turned and ran towards the train, thinking he was finally free, but of course, his mother proved him wrong.

“ _James Potter, you get over here and you give me a proper hug and goodbye_ ,” the screech came from behind him, slowing him to a halt. Laughter erupted around him from some spectators, making him hunch his shoulders with humiliation. This already damaged the reputation he didn’t even have yet.

“Yes, mother,” he grumbled before slowly turning and scrambling over to the short, fierce woman with the hands on her hips, lips pursed tightly. 

“Don’t you ‘yes, mother’ me, James.” Arms encircled him in a matter of seconds, tightly pulling him to her. Mrs. Potter leaned down, whispering in his ear, “your father wanted to be here so badly to see you off, but work has him busy. You must know, dear. You must know how proud your father is of you. We couldn’t have wished for a better son.”

James nodded, pulling away slowly. His father worked a lot more these days to give himself something to do, but even now, it took up a lot more time than Mr. Potter had thought. James had became used to it over the past couple years, though he still wished for his father to see him off. “I know, mum. Thank you.” He glanced up at the clock, eyes growing wide. “I have to go, or I’m not going to get to choose my own seat.”

Mrs. Potter nodded, smiling. “Right, right. Well, go now.” She ducked down as fast as she could and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a bright pink lipstick mark. “And don’t forget to owl me,” she called after the running boy, waving. She wiped her eyes again with the tip of her handkerchief, small black marks appearing against the white from her running mascara. 

James hurried onto the Hogwarts Express, carry-on in hand. It knocked into the wall multiple times as he turned this way and that, trying to catch a glimpse of anything he could. He walked down the length of the corridor, peeking into several compartments that he hoped would at least have one space open. Most were filled with upperclassmen who immediately gave him the stink eye when he opened the door. It took what seemed like a hundred tries before James found a compartment that held only two students in it.James stood in the doorway, bag in hand. The two students in the compartment were deep in conversation, not noticing him. One was the girl from before, and the other student had long black hair and a hooked nose. The compartment was pretty small with two benches facing each other. They sat on the edges of the dark red benches, leaning in close as their conversation deepened. James caught a couple words such as 'sister' and 'wand', but the way they talked was too soft for him to hear enough.

Seeing as that they weren’t going to notice him, James went ahead and knocked on the door a few times with the back of his knuckles. The sudden noise had gotten the girl’s attention immediately, but the boy still faced her, looking annoyed and reluctant to even turn around to see who the newcomer was. “May I sit here? I can’t seem to find an open compartment anywhere else,” he explained, scratching at the back of his neck.

“Yes,” the girl said with a nod at the same time the boy muttered a quick, almost inaudible “no.” She gave the boy across from her a look. "You can sit here,” she reassured.

James grinned at the acceptance, immediately sitting down next to her. The vibe from the other boy was giving was quite unsettling. “Thanks.” It seemed like his presence had set off a small silent disturbance. The other two remained rather quiet. James looked around the compartment, curious, but there wasn’t even a clock so he could check the time. When he had gotten on it was ten minutes until eleven.

A shadow passed through the compartment, stopping at the doorway, causing them to look up. A boy with raven black hair stood there, his hand latched onto the handle. His clothes were sort of ridiculous to James. They certainly were from a wealthy side due to the look of them. “May I sit in here with you?” His face kept a single expression that James could only identify as haughty. James and the girl nodded, but the other boy didn’t make a move to approve or disapprove just as he did a few minutes ago. The new boy sat down, brushing off the knees of his dress slacks.

James waited another couple of minutes until the silence was nearly unbearable. “What do you think of it so far?” James asked the girl beside him.

She smiled and nodded enthusiastically, her hands gripped the seat beside her as her legs kicked back and forth. “It’s amazing. I didn’t know it was going to be like this. This Express is so large, and did you know that isn’t even run by steam at all?” She sat up straighter, brushing her hair behind her ear. “I thought it was at first. I’ve been told it’s run by...magic. Think of it, we’re going to a be transported by a magical train to a magical school. It’s like they're showing off.”

James was amused by her enthusiasm. “I’m used to it, really,” he interjected, trying to seem cool. “Do you have a specific house you want to get into?”

She shrugged. “Maybe Ravenclaw.”

“The house of the stuck-up? I don’t recommend it. I’m going into Gryffindor, the house of the brave,” he said, proudly.

The boy with the hooked nose turned towards him, a sneer on his face. “Gryffindor? That’s a poor house preference. It’s just filled with a bunch of know-it-alls who wouldn’t know what chivalry is even if you threw it at them.”

James frowned, anger rising up. He sat up a little higher. “Oh? And what house are you trying to get into?”

“Slytherin, of course. It’s where the elite go.” James noticed the expression change on the boy that came in just a few minutes behind him, but ignored it, turning back to the Slytherin to-be. “Elite? I wouldn’t say that if you’re going into it,” he muttered, encouraged by the snickering from the other boy.

The girl crossed her arms, lips pursed. James recognized that expression. His mother wore it whenever she was cross with him. The girl though seemed cross with all of them. “Would you stop picking on him?” Or she was just cross with James.

“Picking on him? Do you not hear him? He’s insulting the house that my family has been in for generations,” James stumbled over his words, trying to get them out too fast.

“Oh, so your stupidity is by heritage,” the hooked-nose boy muttered.

James stood up, wand in hand. He pointed it at the boy, cheeks turning red.

“You don’t even know any spells,” the girl pointed out, but James kept on aiming it at the boy. “You can’t be serious.”

The boy who has remained silent throughout the encounter stood up in a rush, putting a hand on James’ arm and lowering it. “No, he’s not serious, but I am.” He tugged on James’ arm with a nod towards the door. “Let’s go find another compartment.” James nodded with a bit of surprise at the boy's sudden forwardness. He accepted the proposal without questions and followed him out of the compartment.

“I don’t need to be told off by some know-it-all girl and a boy who drowns his hair in grease,” he muttered before he shut the door, but the other two heard it quite well. The short huff from what sounded as if it were from the girl was loud enough to be heard through the door. The boy and James walked down the corridor in silence, until it nearly became unbearable. “I’m James, by the way, James Potter. What’s your name?”

The boy stopped walking, his eyes wandering towards the ground in a bit of a hesitant note. “I’m Sirius,” he drawled, hands clasped behind his back.

James frowned, confused at the repetition of the sentence. “We’re passed their compartment--”

“--no, no. I mean my name is Sirius. Sirius Black,” he corrected rather quickly as if he got this quite often.

He leaned forward slightly, eyebrows raised. It wasn't a common name per se, but it was quite an unusual one. “Is it spelled the same way?” James teased, grinning at the ridiculous name. He wondered how many times the boy had to explain this.

“No, it’s spelled: S-I-R-I-U-S. It’s bonkers, I know,” Sirius admitted.

“Just a bit, but anyways,” James stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sirius Black.”

Sirius did the same, sliding his hand into James’ and shaking it. “Nice to meet you, too, James Potter.”

They released their hands before walking on. “Wait,” James began as a sudden thought crossed his mind, “isn’t Black the name that belongs to that one pure-blood Slytherin family?”

Sirius paused. “Yes, so what?” The phrase came out slowly. Something flashed in his eyes as if expecting a certain response. 

“Nothing.” James shook his head and continued with Sirius down the corridor until they found an nearly empty compartment near the back of the train. There was only one student in there, but he was already asleep in the corner, his robes used as what could be perceived as a replacement blanket. A couple of books sat next to his sleeping form as if keeping him company. Just as Sirius closed the compartment door behind James, the train started pulling away from the station. James sat down opposite of the sleeping boy.

“Should we wake him?” Sirius asked as he sat down next to James, staring at the sleeping boy.

The wonder of how someone could sleep in such a situation waved over James. He looked like he was too young to be at Hogwarts yet. He was very tiny in shortness and width with light brown hair that fell around his face in shallow wisps. The boy also had a couple of scars that were etched across his face, some looking newer than others, but Sirius decided to be polite and ignore those markings. “Let’s let him sleep for now. Maybe we’ll wake him when we get there.” James nodded before sliding onto the floor of the compartment, taking out out one pack out of the multiple number he had of Exploding Snap.

“Wanna play?”

After several hours of sitting about and playing Exploding Snap occasionally, James and Sirius were officially bored as they had tried every version of the game that they knew. Now, James was busy trying to form a house of cards, being very careful. They’ve pondered out loud several times on whether they should wake the other boy up so he could lighten the boredom a bit, but they were afraid to bother him since he looked a bit sickly as he had dark circles under his eyes and an unsettling paleness to him. The boy had taken a new position when turned in his sleep so he faced the window more, his robe now almost over his head.

James placed two cards against eachother, his eyebrows pressed together in concentration. “So, I never asked you back then, but...what house are you going into?” It had been bothering him throughout the trip. Sirius' family was one of the most noble pure-blood Slytherin families in the wizarding world. 

Sirius stiffened a bit, his fingers tapping against the edge of his knee. “My family wants me in Slytherin,” he answered, firmly as if trying to convince himself of that notion.

“Yes, but that’s what your family wants. What house do _you_ want to be in? Slytherin, the cunning; Hufflepuff, the loyal; Ravenclaw, the intelligent; Gryffindor, the brave?” James smiled at ‘Gryffindor’, laying down the rest of his cards carefully.

“From what my family is like, I’m--” he lowered his voice as if someone could be eavesdropping “--I’m not sure I want to be in Slytherin, but all of my family members have been. For all I know, I could be put in Hufflepuff by accident." Sirius dropped the tension with a grin. “Me as a Hufflepuff though? That’d be funny.” Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of the compartment. It was short, but light, as if they were used to it.

Not waiting for a response, the door was slid open to reveal a cart filled with numerous types of objects with a dimpled young woman handling it. “Anything from the trolley, dears?” Her hair was pinned back neatly with a sort of hat covering it. James guessed it was because of the stickiness part of the job.

He quickly stood up with vigor and walked over to the trolley with his hand already in pocket, peering at the cart with a wide grin. He fished some sickles out of his pocket and handed them to the woman. “Two liquorice wands and one Bertie Botts Beans.” James turned to where Sirius sat with a raise of his eyebrows, but Sirius shook his head in return, turning back towards the growing card house. He slowly started adding to it.

There was a sudden swish of wind that nearly knocked the cards over. Sirius held his breath, waiting for the explosion and let out a slow exhale when it seemed safe enough. The sound of rustling grew louder before feet that both had a different colored sock on them hit the floor heavily and walked passed Sirius to pad over towards the occupied trolley. “Three Chocolate Frogs please,” a voice that was soft and scratchy from sleep murmured. The voice surprised James when he discovered the boy had woken up.

He seemed to be standing as far away from James as possible. Sirius watched him as he dug deep into his pockets to find only a couple of coins. “Oh, I guess only one then.” He gave the coins to the lady with a small “thank you.” Once he had the box in hand, he quickly returned to his seat where his robes laid in a wrinkled lump. He already had his uniform on, his tie very loose and tied very weirdly. 

James went to his own seat after him, spreading out his goods in front of Sirius. “You can have anything you want. I really don’t mind.”

Sirius nodded before looking back up at the boy, watching as he shoved the box into his pocket before pulling out one his books from the stack. James turned as well to notice the the small holes in the boy’s robes and how large they were on his small frame.

When he realized they were looking at the odd boy for too long, Sirius turned back to James, taking some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

 

**Sirius**

After a few hours, the Express finally arrived, stopping at Hogsmeade station. Sirius stood and stretched as James picked up the cards. The house of cards hadn't been very successful when a draft went through the compartment. The cards had been knocked over in a flourish. Burns on the edge of his sleeves and a few black smudges on his face were the effects on James Potter. The candy that James had bought was eaten with no survivors within the hour. Many of the students piled out into the corridor until it was jam packed. The boy quickly slipped into the corridor when there was an open space while James and Sirius quickly put on their long black robes before joining the rest of the students and exiting the Hogwarts Express. 

They made their way slowly out onto the platform, edging up until they were in front of the crowd. "Firs' years! This way! Firs' years, this way." The voice was low and heavy, belonging to a man who looked very much like the owner of the voice. He was nearly twice the size of any man when it came to his width and height. He had long, shaggy black hair that matched the length of his beard. “Blimey!” James remarked as they approached the man.

James and Sirius looked at the giant man with open curiosity. “Is he a giant?” He whispered to Sirius, elbowing him in the side to get his attention. Sirius shook his head quickly, but he began to wonder, too.

The man chuckled kindheartedly. “Firs' years are ya? Blimey! They just keep gettin’ smaller an’ smaller. Well, go ahead and follow me to the lake. Careful not ta' trip. The Giant Squid isn’t too friendly towards guests.”

James quickened his pace to catch up with the big man, in awe at how large he was. “What's your name?” James inquired, walking backwards so he could face him. Sirius joined him though he kept silent.

“Hagrid. Rubeus Hagrid, keeper o' keys and grounds at Hogwarts School o’ Witchcraft and Wizardry, and who're you?” Hagrid questioned, sticking a hand out for James. He seemed delighted at the question.

“James Potter, sir,” he answered, his small hand engulfed by the man's trashcan lid sized hands.

“Pleasure to meet ya' James,” Hagrid nodded at the boy as they veered off the small path to be halted by a sight that Sirius would remember for the rest of his life. The notorious black lake stood in front of them, the moon's reflection glimmering across the water in what was almost a mirror image. To look off into the distance would be to see their next destination. Across the lake stood the great Hogwarts Castle. It was enormous with three large towers that were much taller than the others. The beauty of it was etched into their minds. They wouldn't be able to forget even the slightest detail like the cool breeze, the different colored leaves that changed throughout Autumn as it continued, the lights that seemed to be like a beacon. It was marvelous. It was like a dream.

Sirius curled his fingers into his palm before rushing forwards with the rest of the students to the dock where there were boats placed on either side. “Come on, Potter!” He called to his friend, waving at him. James turned around to run after Sirius where they stopped to stand over the lake with their feet just barely hanging off the edge, bent at the waist and squinting at the water. James’ smile grew even more, seeing their shadow-like reflections ripple. It was too dark to see past the surface.

James reached over and clamped his hand on Sirius’ shoulder with pride. “Well, we’ve ma…” Sirius surprised at the sudden, foreign-like touch had lost his balance, tipping forward on one foot before James was able to pull him back away from the edge. 

“Oi! I could’ve fallen in and been killed by the giant squid, you know,” Sirius pointed out, but James was laughing too hard to even notice Sirius trying to grab him.

“You--you really scare that easily, Black?” He held his stomach, bent over. “The look on your face was priceless. I mean ‘killed by the giant squid’ was good, too, but you know.”

Sirius pointed at the water, enjoying himself a lot more than he let on. “Want me to throw you in?”

“You can try, but I doubt you’d be able to,” James boasted, lifting up his sleeve as he raised his left arm. “See this? Pure muscle.”

Sirius snorted at the ridiculousness of the situation. “Your arms are like noodles.”

“N-No they aren’t. You need glasses.” James stepped into the boat quickly, balancing himself as it started rocking back and forth.

Sirius followed him, sitting across with contempt. He didn't even try to protect his nice dress shoes as the bottom of the small boat was damp with little puddles of water in a few choice places. Not caring, Sirius let his shoes soak in the small puddle beneath him. “No, mate, I think you’re the one needing glasses.” James laughed and turned to stare over at the castle where many of the windows were illuminated with light. A forest was set around the school, causing an eerie effect to it as well.

“Uh, may we sit with you?” A tall, short haired boy stood there with a small, chubby blonde girl who was nervously wringing her hands. James nodded, scooting over to make room. The boy sat next to him, nearly a head taller. Square glasses were perched on the end of his nose. The girl sat next to Sirius, her eyes averted to the water. The boy pointed to himself, “I’m Victor Adrian, and she's Greta.” Greta waved shortly with a small nod and smile, but otherwise, said nothing. 

“Keep yer hands an’ feet inside the boats.” Hagrid waved a hand. “FORWARD!” The boats immediately obeyed. No one talked, as if a spell was put across them, but the silence was really just due to the sheer fascination. Everyone stared at the castle, eyes taking in everything. It didn’t take long until they reached the harbor and climbed out of the small boats. Sirius looked around the other students, never really noticing how much variety there was. There was a skinny boy with white hair clutching a kitten in his arms a few steps away. That must have been the pet he’d chosen to get. It was a small tabby that had it’s eyes on a cupcake-shaped key chain that hung off a girl’s grey messenger bag. Sirius’ eyes slid to two girls that stood a few feet away from him, deep in conversation. One had long,white blonde hair that she kept picking at, either by sliding a lock behind her ear or messing with her bangs. The girl beside her was a bit shorter with a round face. Her dark brown hair curling away from her face in a sort of muggle fashion.They stopped in a large hall where they were met by a fierce-looking woman who wore a pointed hat that sat crookedly on her head.

“Thank you, Hagrid.”

“Not a problem at all, Professor McGonagall,” he replied before walking ahead.

She straightened her emerald green robes, waiting for the rest of the group to remain silent. “Welcome to Hogwarts. There are a few things everyone must know before you enter the Great Hall ahead of you,” she began, nodding slightly. “There are four houses in which each of you shall be sorted. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. In whichever house you are sorted, they will be something of a family to you. You will all learn together, sleep in the same dormitories, and dine in whichever house table you are assigned to. With the sorting, there shall come responsibility. With mischief, comes discipline. Any rule breaking, your house will lose points. Any triumphs, your house will gain points. As an award, the winner will win the House Cup, which will proudly represent your house. Please compose yourselves while the start-of-term banquet begins. We wouldn’t want to lose points too soon,” Professor McGonagall warned, a glint shining behind her square spectacles. She turned around and opened the two giant doors behind her with one great push.

As the room opened up the new students, Sirius stared around at all the older students that were watching the first years stumble in. A few of them even clapped, others grinning as if remembering their first day. Sirius had sometimes heard his parents reminisce about their times at Hogwarts, but they never really actually explained to him what was there. They hadn't cared to. It was like walking in blindfolded. All of the first years stopped at the front, crowding around.

“I see my seat at the Gryffindor table has been saved,” James proudly stated, grinning up at the stool that sat alone at the front with a hat on it.

Professor McGonagall walked across, nodding at a familiar old man at the front that sat in a large golden chair behind a table that was position at the furthest part of the room. He smiled back at her immediately, a twinkle in his eye. It was Albus Dumbledore, Sirius recognized. His parents hated him. A few other teachers sat alongside him at the High Table, watching over the proceedings. There were four large tables, packed with students. It had gotten quite loud with all the chattering going on, but nothing could silence Professor McGonagall, “We shall proceed with the Sorting Ceremony.” Something interrupted though. It started with a loud gasp from a few students behind him. Sirius turned to see ghosts begin to enter the Great Hall. One was overweight and particularly friendly. He greeted many students, encouraging them to join Hufflepuff. A different ghost popped up through the floor by James’ feet, making him jump.

“Oh, hello there!” James just nodded, eyes wide. “I hope to see you join Gryffindor. My own house actually.”

“So...so, you’re Nearly Headless Nick?” James seemed to relax a bit more.

“Quite so. Now if you’ll excuse me,” he passed by to float next to the Fat Friar. “Baron is still a bit shy isn’t he?”

“It’s just like what’s described in this book,” a voice announced suddenly.

"What is?" They both sounded quite familiar

Sirius peered across to see the boy from their compartment talking to the red-headed girl who was peering over at the book he had open between them.  

"The ceiling." He pointed at a spot on the page. "See? It's beautiful."

Not being able to help himself, Sirius looked up, noticing how it looked as if there wasn’t even a roof over their heads. The ceiling was an exact match to the sky outside, clear with the stars shining bright. It was almost mesmerizing. 

The girl nodded. “Yeah. I never thought it'd be like this. The train ride was spectacular, except for these two guys though. They nearly ruined it," she said, eyes pinned on the ceiling. Sirius rose his eyebrows at the sentence. "I mean, even the candy was weird. I didn't get to have anything though, but I sure did look at it." She tucked her hair behind her ears, a reminiscent smile on her face.

The boy reached into his pocket and pulled out the Chocolate Frog. “Here, you can have mine. I already had one on the train,” he explained with a smile.

Sirius grinned as he turned back to face McGonagall. _Liar_ , he thought as the girl took the container.

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, gathering the attention of the students once more. “ _Now_ , we’ll start the Sorting Ceremony.” She gave a look to the few ghosts still roaming around before turning towards the stool. A lot of the first years began to murmur amongst themselves once they spotted the pointed hat that sat upon the stool beginning to move, twitching with what seemed like a mouth at the brim. Most of them gasped when the hat began to sing.

“ _Welcome to this massive home_

_I invite you all to this place_

_where all of you may roam, learn, and play_

_Even though you are new, do not despair_

_For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I am for all of you to wear_

_Look around and see what you can_

_Four great Houses sit around you_

_Each founded by a woman or man_

_To be Sorted is a great event_

_All of your great achievements_

_Will surely leave a dent_

_Your heart may belong in Ravenclaw_

_Your vast knowledge will certainly impress_

_With your mind so easily put to the test_

_Hufflepuff is another great group for you_

_Friends would be trusted_

_Work shall be lusted_

_The active minds shall be in Slytherin_

_The level of cunning will never appeal_

_To you and your kin_

_Daring thoughts and thrilling nerve_

_Shall set upon a Gryffindor_

_Ready to serve_

_Do not fret so easily I shall put you in good hands_

_To think, I’ve been doing this for so many years_

_The end feels so near_

_So good luck to all of my guests_

_This will be well suited for each quest”_

The professor unraveled a large scroll, adjusting her spectacles. “When your name is called, please come forth and sit on the stool. I will then put the hat on your head so you shall be sorted,” she explained. “Adrian, Victor!”

Sirius turned towards James as Victor sat on the stool. He was smiling nervously and kicking his feet back and forth, his camera held in his hands as support. It took a few seconds for the hat to shout out loudly, “HUFFLEPUFF!”

Sirius watched the boy jump off the stool, relief on his face as he walked over to his assigned table. His attention was taken away at how the table greeted the new student as if he were an old friend, clapping him on the back and so. “SLYTHERIN!” Sirius’ head snapped up to see a boy with light red hair saunter towards a clapping table.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“All I heard was Avery before the hat got on his head. It took less than two seconds for it to decide,” James replied. They were nearly all the way back behind the crowd so being able to see the Sorting was beginning to be a problem.

“Black, Sirius!” His name rang out loud and clear, ringing in his own ears.

James grinned at him, clapping him on the back. “Good luck. You can't exactly go wrong on this.”  _Oh, but I can._

As he walked over to the stool, Sirius sensed a bit of dread. One wrong house could leave him the family screw-up. He peeked over at the Slytherin table, spotting a few family members watching him. Andromeda Black sat at the end of the table. She was one of his nicer cousins. She even smiled when he caught her eye. A few seats down from her was her sister, Narcissa Black with her boyfriend, Lucius Malfoy. Her chin was kept high and her eyes were neutral while she watched her cousin sit on the stool. Sirius kept his eyes forward as the hat was placed on his head, his stomach twisting with nerves. He had to keep his cool though. Anything less wouldn’t be expected from someone of the Black family.

“Oh, a Black this year?” A voice whispered in his ear. Sirius could recognize it from the singing. “Interesting. I could always put you in Slytherin just like the rest of your family, but you don’t seem too much like one. Sure, the cunning is there, but I also sense something else…”

 _My family wants me in Slytherin,_ Sirius thought, wondering if he should just give into their wishes. Maybe it'd be best.

“But what do you want?” This was the second time he'd been asked, but the answer was still a bit vague to him.

 _I want to be where I belong._ Sirius could remember all the times his mother so dutifully let him know about his responsibilities. "You will make us proud, and will not humiliate us. You are part of one of the most noble families and will act like it," she said right before he ran into the opening to Platform 9 ¾.

“I don’t think you’d as good in Slytherin as you would be in Gryffindor. Ravenclaw isn’t for you, and nor is Hufflepuff. Your mind is quite interesting. A pure-blood, yes, but no sense of blood elitism like the others I've had to sort. I think that makes you brave, and a rebel.” There was a pause. A moment of suspension as if the hat was contradicting himself as well.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Sirius’ eyes grew wide at all the gasps and instant whispers.

“A Black in Gryffindor?”

“Weren’t they a family that’s solely Slytherin?”

“A disgrace!”

Sirius quickly got off the stool when the hat was lifted off of him, hands shaking. His walk to the Gryffindor table felt shameful. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him, every single step and movement being measured and processed. A Black as a Gryffindor? Five minutes ago, that would be one of the most ridiculous things someone could’ve heard. Sirius sat down at the end of the table where no one else sat. The feelings running through him were so hard to decipher. He could hear it now though. The unsteady anger that would fuel through his mother, Walburga Black. It was unavoidable. It would probably be Narcissa that would owl her. Sirius just hoped Regulus wouldn’t think too less of him.

 

**Remus**

He could recognize the boy from the train. It wasn’t too hard. The dark, carefully cut black hair and the noble-like air around him. They hadn’t said one word to each other. No, Remus was too much of a coward for that, but there was no denying that he did feel bad for Sirius Black. Remus didn’t know him nor his situation though it presented itself obviously by the overheard conversations that made their way to him.

“Did he ask for Gryffindor?”

“For such a thing to happen...”

“I was for sure it was going to be Slytherin. I’ve heard about his family.”

Remus let his ears catch all the words. He kept his eyes pinned on the Sorting Ceremony, clapping along with the other students when they were sorted. So many names went by him that he didn’t even know. Stubby Boardman, Pandora Borak, Greta Catchlove, Amos Diggory, etc. Those would be some of the names of the classmates he will grow up with until their final days here at Hogwarts. It was something weird to think about. “Evans, Lily!” Remus watched the girl he had given his Chocolate Frog to walk away from him and towards the stool. The hat took its time to sort the girl before it finally decided.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

“Oh, great. She’s in my House,” a boy groaned, sarcastically. Remus looked over, seeing the second boy from his compartment. He adorned the look of messy, bedhead hair and high cheekbones.

“What’s so bad about Lily?” he asked without a second thought. He could’ve kicked himself. Remus shouldn’t be trying to interact with anyone. Invisible, he thought, don't draw attraction.

The boy looked to Remus. “She’s about as stuck-up as birds come. She and her rude friend insulted me on the Express,” he explained. If Remus could remember correctly, he had overheard this boy’s name on the train. James, wasn't it?

“Did you provoke them?”

“No, of course not! I was completely innocent, like always.” Something about this boy told Remus different, but he nodded as if in agreement as a tiny, dark-skinned boy made it up to the stool.

“HUFFLEPUFF!”

A few other students went by before a white haired boy--Xenophilius Lovegood was his name if Remus had heard McGonagall correctly--made his way onto the stool, a furry object in his arms. Remus didn’t realize it was a cat until it meowed loudly just as the hat was placed on the boy’s head. A short, chubby boy stepped up beside Remus, trying to look over his tall peers. He had very light blonde hair with little dark freckles speckled over his face. “I had to sit next to that guy on the train. Not all there, if you ask me,” the boy muttered to Remus.

Remus frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“I was reading the Daily Prophet, and he said it was a load of rubbish then he went on and on, but I eventually blocked him out.”

“RAVENCLAW!”

“He doesn’t look all that bad though,” Remus pointed out as Xenophilius slid off the stool, a grin on his face.

“You know what they say about judging books and such, don’t you?”

“Lupin, Remus!” Remus looked up, surprised before he made his way over. “Excuse me,” he murmured. When he was finally on the stool and the hat was placed on his head, it was like all of his worries came back.

“I’ve never seen your kind here before,” a voice murmured.

Remus peered upwards, staring at the ceiling. _Please don't tell anyone,_ Remus pleaded, remembering a portion of the book talking about the Sorting Hat being able to hear their thoughts or something like that. There was a slight huff as if the hat was laughing at him. “I don’t intend to. Now, where should I put you?” _Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff, Hufflepuff,_ he thought in a sort of mantra in his mind. It seemed to calm him somewhat if he tried to name a couple of the constellations.

“Oh, you wish to be in Hufflepuff? Well, you are loyal and I can see that you aren’t too lazy, but it doesn’t seem too right for you.” The hat paused. “I wonder if Slytherin would be best fit for a beast like you.” Remus froze, his heart beating so fast. _No, no, no. They'd find out_. “Yes, so they would. Ravenclaw would be best for you, too, but it seems they would be too smart and find out as well, and you wouldn’t want that would you?”

“No,” Remus whispered, his shaking hands clutching to the book in hands desperately.

“I can already see a great outcome for you though.” _Just put me in Hufflepuff, please. I’m begging you._ “No, I don’t think I will. It wouldn’t be right for you.” What could possibly be right for Remus Lupin then? The Ravenclaws and Slytherins would find him out too quickly. Hufflepuff would best suit him, he had decided awhile back and he'd like to keep that notion. His father, before he left had reminded him constantly to keep as low as a profile as he could. The mere memory of him being asked to go to Hogwarts though still amazed him. The memory was so livid in his mind…

_Remus stirred his cereal repeatedly, not having taken more than five bites of it before he had begun to feel sick again. The last full moon, though nearly a month ago,had been one of his worst ones, taking a heavy toll on him. It had left scars on the left side of his torso and thigh. The only good news about them was that they were very thin and easy to mend. His father sat at the table across from him, reading the Daily Prophet. He was on the Bad News page. He always was, checking for anything that could disrupt their tiny life._

_His mother was behind Remus, deeper in the kitchen where she washed dishes. Even though they could use magic to do chores, his mother preferred doing it the Muggle way. It was mostly because she was a Muggle herself and so used to it, and that she just liked giving herself something to do. Hope Howell had been forced to quit her job a few years or so ago when she had not been able to retain her position as an insurance office worker. Moving around so much had forced her to quit. Remus blamed himself for that. He also blamed himself for being the reason that they were getting to be so poor and alienated from the rest of the wizard world. All his fault. His thoughts were interrupted by his father who tapped on the table softly to get his attention._

_“Hello? Is anyone home?” Lyall Lupin smiled at his son, affectionately. “Remus, you need to eat more than that to get your strength back up.”_

_Remus let go of his spoon with a small sigh. “If I do, I’ll be sick.” Lyall only shook his head before flipping to the job side of the Daily Prophet on page 15. Just before getting up from the table, a knock sounded from the front door. Remus could see the shadow of someone standing behind it, someone tall. Lyall’s head snapped up in surprise, eyebrows raised as he and Hope stared at each other in confusion. It was a rare occasion that anyone visited the Lupins. Remus could barely remember the last time someone did-- some children wanting to collect their tin cans._

_Lyall slowly closed his newspaper, setting it on the counter. “Go eat your cereal in the living room, Remus.” He stood quickly, walking out. His mother did the same, but paused at her son’s side for a second to pat his head, her fingers running through his light brown strands. When his mother disappeared out of sight, Remus stood, his cereal bowl in his hands while made his way past the kitchen into the living room where a fireplace crackled. It was the only thing keeping the house remotely warm. He slowly peeked around the corner and eyed his parents as they opened the door. The look of utter surprise on his father’s face grew with each passing second as the visitor spoke. He seemed to be getting into a quiet argument with the person at the door. Worried his parents might catch him, Remus backed away and went back to sitting beside the fire. He went back to stirring his cereal in a bored manner when he heard a huff from his mother as the door slammed shut._

_If he strained enough, he could hear the slight murmur of his parents discussing what happened._ _“_ _Eavesdropping is an ugly habit, you know.”_

_Remus jumped, his bowl of cereal tipping and falling onto the floor. Milk and bits of cereal pooled around his seat. Before Lupin was a tall, thin elderly man . His hair was long and greying, as well as his beard. He had bright blue eyes that were hidden by half-moon glasses, perched haphazardly atop his nose. His robes were the most colorful thing about him, being a bright purple. It made Remus want to laugh for a moment before the realized the seriousness of the situation. How had he gotten in? Why was he here? Remus could only watch as the man circled around the table to sit across from him, two boxes in his hands._

_T_ _he stranger set the medium sized boxes on the table with a small smile, his eyes mischievous. He opened the lid of the first box and pushed it towards Remus. “Would you care for a crumpet?” Remus shook his head, but the man went ahead and took one from the tin before closing it._

 _“_ _Have you ever played Gobstones? It’s a rather amusing game.” Remus nodded this time, very confused. He and his father used to play it a lot when Remus was younger. The elderly man opened the second tin, revealing the game. “Rather chilly in here, isn’t it?” He waved his hand at the fireplace beside them. Remus sat in awe when a fire appeared right away embers floating above the logs. Remus looked back to the elderly man who was busy setting up the game._

_“Who are you?” He asked, quietly. Remus didn’t know why exactly, but he trusted this person. It must’ve been because he knew that he'd never heard of a bad man who wore such vibrant clothing._

_The man didn’t bother with to look up as he set up the game. “I’m Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, where you shall be attending school--should you accept my proposal.”_

_Remus looked at him with a confused expression. “Me? I--I can--I mean I can’t go…” Remus stared at the mess on the table before he began to stand up. Dumbledore waved his hand for Remus to stop before he could stand up fully._

_“Let me.” Remus frowned as he sat back down. He watched as Dumbledore whispered a short word and almost instantly, the contents of the cereal and milk had disappeared. Maybe his mother and father should use magic more often… “Remus, I have been aware of your situation for a long time now.” Remus froze, staring up at the man whose eyes were full of wisdom. “Being a part of the lycanthrope population isn’t a bad thing, nor is it a good thing. Which is why I am here to ask you in person, if you would like to become a student at Hogwarts.”_

“GRYFFINDOR!”

“Wait, what?” Remus whispered, horrified. “No…” Remus slowly got off the stool as the hat was lifted. It seemed like hours before he made it to the Gryffindor table. The Gryffindors of the table all clapped and cheered as he sat down next to Lily. It brightened his mood a bit, but there was no mistaking it.

He was inevitably screwed.

 

 

**Peter**

McGonagall looked to the scroll before her eyes met the crowd. “Pettigrew, Peter!” The boy with the light blond hair and the darker eyebrows jumped at the yelling of his name. He had been expecting it, but actually hearing it sent nerves down his spine. It took a few seconds before Peter could find the ability to walk. He made his way through the crowd of first years until he got onto the platform. Some of the students snickered at him. A couple clapped him on the back with a muttered, “good luck”. Most of them just stared, as if envisioning their own turn after him.

Under the hawk-like eyes of Professor McGonagall, the small boy hurried over to the stool. The stool nearly tipped as his shaking fingers slipped of the edges, but after a bit of struggling with the tallness of it, he sat upon the stool. His cheeks were a bright pink, sweat beading on his forehead. It felt so warm in the dining hall due to all the students, but most of it could’ve been due to the fact that all of them were watching him.

After a few seconds of scouting, he managed to spot the boy from earlier who had been sorted. The one with the strange scars. To take nearly three minutes just to be sorted into Gryffindor was ridiculous. Peter jumped a little when the hat was placed on his head all of a sudden. It nearly engulfed his whole head, his ears the only saving factor that it didn’t slip all the way down.

“I know exactly where to put you,” the hat stated. “You’ll do best in Slytherin.”

_Wait, that’s not where I want to be!_

“Hmm, where would you exactly like to be then?”

_In Gryffindor, of course._

Peter grinned, his legs kicking back and forth. When he was little, his father used to tell him stories about the four founders of Hogwarts. Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin’s tales were all he’d want to hear for a bedtime story. His favorite stories were the ones that centered around Godric Gryffindor whom his father always portrayed as a brave knight, and one the best duelists there ever was. Sure, some of the stories his father told were fictional, but they were all true in his mind, even the one about him wrestling the Giant Squid. The one story that he remembered the best was the one about Godric and Salazar battling. The tale always started with two duo being great friends until muggles came into the subject, and then suddenly they were enemies. Peter, being a half-blood himself, couldn’t exactly say muggles were all that unpleasant since his mother was one. They did confuse him though.

_Yes, I want to be in Gryffindor._

“Well, you do have the nerve of one. I can see a bit of a short-temper in there as well,” the Sorting Hat pointed out. “What you also have, though, could overrun that. There’s the cunningness, power-driven personalities that have yet to show themselves. Determination is one of your greatest strengths, but it could soon be your weakness.” _But I’ve been told Slytherin is bad._ “That’s the equivalent of saying that all Ravenclaws are geniuses.” The hat was silent after that for what seemed like forever to Peter. He scanned the crowd as the hat pondered between the two houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin. It was a full minute and a half before the hat announced anything.

“GRYFFINDOR!”

Peter could’ve danced out of joy. He jumped off the stool, taking a couple steps before he remembered when a few of students snickered. “Oh, right!” He took off the hat and placed it on the stool. “Thanks.” Peter made his way to the table proudly, a grin on his face. He sat next to another first year, the one that made a lot of commotion with his sorting earlier.

A student with short black hair looked over to Peter. “That took bloody forever, you know. That must’ve been about five or so minutes.”

Peter looked back towards the hat before looking back to the hat. “Really? It didn’t seem that long to me.”

“Well, you were the one being sorted, so it wouldn’t have,” the boy pointed out. “I’m Frank, by the way.”

Peter grinned, spinning the plate in front of him with the tip of his finger. “Nice to meet you. I’m Peter.”

“Potter, James!” Professor McGonagall yelled, her eyes on a boy that made his way through the crowd, confidently. He sat himself on the chair, his eyes pinned on the hat. It didn’t even take three seconds before he was sorted. “GRYFFINDOR!” James vaulted off the stool and nearly ran to the table.

A lot of the upperclassmen Gryffindors were excited by his spirit. “Good job on getting Gryffindor,” Peter chimed in when James sat across from him and next to Remus.

James nodded. “You, too!” He turned towards Sirius, concerned a bit at the look on his face. It wasn’t sad at all. He looked angry. “You okay, mate?”

Sirius immediately forced a smile. “Yeah. I’m just really hungry. Those Bertie Bott’s Beans didn’t help at all.”

James chuckled. “I offered the Liquorice Wands,” he reminded Sirius, though he didn’t really believe him at all. There were now only a few other students left to sort, but those took no time at all.

“Singh, Sasha!” A girl with a long black braid that hung down the front of her shoulder ran up to the platform.

“RAVENCLAW!”

“Snape, Severus!” James turned to see a boy work long, black greasy hair and a hook-like nose sit down on the stool.

“Oh, it’s him. That greasy git,” he remembered.

Lily turned towards him, looking around Remus to glare at him. “He’s not a ‘greasy git’.”

“SLYTHERIN!”

James pointed his thumb over shoulder towards Severus who made his way towards his house table. “Yes, he is. I’m surprised you're not in the same boat with him.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Remus leaned back a bit farther, eyes wide at the exchange that he was literally in the middle of.

James scoffed. “You’re just as bad as him!” A lot of the Gryffindors down the table turned towards the argument with interest. “You defended him when he insulted me.”

“You insulted him first!”

“Did not.”

“Did so!”

“Liar.”

“Oh, bugger off.”

“That’d be a pleasure,” James finished before turning back to Sirius.

“RAVENCLAW!” The last student that was sorted was an Andrew Stebbins, a dark skinned boy with shaggy hair who seemed quite surprised at his house.

Peter peered down at the plates laid out in front of them. His stomach began to growl. “When’s the feast supposed to start, anyways?” He asked, but no one answered.

All eyes were pinned on an old man that stood up from the High Table. “Greetings to all of our new students, and our returning ones. We are very glad to have you here on this beautiful evening.” Peter studied the headmaster, profusely. He seemed sort of frail. His beard was greying and quite long at that. His voice rang loud though, reaching all the students in the Great Hall. “There are a few things I’d like to address before you all enjoy the feast. The Forbidden Forest outside of this school is dangerous and will always be off-limits to students. We also have a new addition to the school grounds. It’s a tree we have planted that is called the Whomping Willow. I highly suggest no one go near it,” Albus Dumbledore warned before smiling. “Now, everyone, enjoy the feast!”

Just as the Headmaster sat down, on the plates and in the many goblets, food and drinks appeared in flourish. Many of the students clapped and cheered for Dumbledore in amazement. There was so much food. Peter was sure Remus was drooling a bit.

Peter shoved a little bit of everything onto his plate, not even caring if he gained a hundred pounds. There must’ve been a dozen different types of food.

“Lily, you look like you’re about to kill someone,” a girl with white blonde hair pointed out. It was true though. There was fire in the redhead’s eyes.

Lily shook her head. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

The girl leaned over the table a bit more, her chest nearly dunked in her potatoes. “Is it because of that idiot?” She whispered behind her hand just a little too loudly. Of course, James didn't notice. He was too busy waving his fork at Sirius, trying to get his attention.

“I can beat him up later if you want,” she offered with a wink.

Lily laughed, softly, before shaking her head. “No, I want that pleasure for myself.”

Peter turned his head away a bit so he could hear them better.

“Marlene, um, you might want to sit back down. Your robes are about to get gravy on them.”

A sudden thump sounded. “Oh, uh, thanks. That was a close one.”

Peter turned back to the other two boys. They were in the middle of what Peter could perceive as a ‘Pea War’. James was busy flinging the little green orbs off his spoon at Sirius.

“James,” he muttered as a pea hit the end of his nose, bouncing off onto his lap, “do you really want to get a detention on the first day?”

“Yes.”

“Alright, then I’ll join you.” Sirius put as many peas on his spoon that he could before flinging it James. Two hit his forehead, one landed in the crevice of Remus’ open book, three fell into the bowl of roasted potatoes, and the remaining five went in various directions that went unseen to Peter’s eye.

Remus slowly looked up at them with raised eyebrows before grabbing the one on his book and throwing it back at Sirius. Sirius filled his spoon quickly before aiming at Remus, though he was deterred by a laughing James when five peas hit Sirius in the face, causing Sirius’ misaim and accidentally hit Peter and Marlene instead. Peter’s reaction wasn’t as nearly as scary as Marlene’s who threw a boiled potato at Sirius’ face with all the force she had.

“Black, you’re going down,” she declared when he dodged it, watching it smash on the floor beside him.

“James, we’re teaming up. There’s no going back now!” Grabbing a handful of carrots, he launched them at Marlene.

Marlene got one to the cheek. “Evans! Macdonald!” A girl with black hair looked up with wide eyes from her dinner, having ignored the whole confrontation before. “We’re not losing.”

"Um, I don't know if I should," Mary said softly, picking at the edge of her sleeves.

Marlene sighed, her eyes rolling upwards in though. "I'll let you have first pick of your bed."

"Wait a minute!"

"Lily, you can have second pick, and i'll let you have the rest of my pumpkin pasties," Marlene offered, battering her eyes.

"Fine," Lily muttered. She immediately grabbed a piece of cake and launched it at James. Laughter erupted from the rest of the table when it hit him full on the face, icing in his hair with chocolate smeared all over his face. Remus had quickly leaned back, protecting his book as quickly as he could before a flying pork chop could hit one of his beloved pages. He itched to join, but getting a detention on the first day seemed like a bit much.

A girl quickly stood up, a few people down from them. A badge was clipped to the front of her robes. "Everyone, stop! This is madness." But no one seemed to hear. Her cheeks became immediately red from anger when Sirius threw a wink at her as he launched a steak, blindly.

Mary threw a sausage at Peter, flinching when it hit him across the forehead. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” But Peter only grinned before launching celery at her.

Marlene took a large handful of mashed potatoes before flinging them at Sirius. He was able to duck quickly, just barely being able to dodge it. The sudden silence made Sirius look up slowly where he found an angry Professor McGonagall with the white substance smeared all over left shoulder and arm.

“Oh,” Marlene murmured, dropping the steak she had picked up.

Peter didn’t know who to stare at: the cake covered James Potter, grinning Sirius Black, Remus Lupin who had finally looked up from his book, Lily Evans who had bits of gravy in her hair, Mary Macdonald who looked extremely horrified, Marlene McKinnon who Peter didn’t know whether looked proud or angry, or the extremely terrifying Professor McGonagall.

“Detention! For all of you,” she declared in a firm voice, “and ten points from Gryffindor!” A stream of groans erupted from the table. A few of the older students sent glares to them. “James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans, Marlene McKinnon, and Mary Macdonald will report to detention tomorrow in my office.” Remus looked up, eyes wide. His book slowly closed, but he didn’t say anything. Peter was glad he didn’t.

Professor McGonagall walked around the table to where Remus sat. “And Mr. Lupin, after you finish, one of the Prefects shall escort you to Headmaster Dumbledore’s office,” she informed. “I’m quite sure you know why.” 


	2. Flying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank the following people who submitted headcanons and advice:  
> * double-dorks-beanie  
> * Firebolt-101  
> * silverfirelizard  
> * grannybeards  
> ((If I missed any, let me know))
> 
> Chapter title was inspired by the song title from UFO who published it in 1971.

**Remus**

Remus couldn’t help but be nervous for the rest of dinner. He knew what this was about, sure, but overthinking still got the best of him. After McGonagall had walked away in a huff, the other students had looked at him as if he was from another planet.

Sirius Black was the first to say something, eyebrows pinched together. “You haven't even done anything. Why does Professor Dumbledore want to speak with you?” He waved a fork that had a carrot stuck on the end of it at him. Peter glanced up from his meal, a piece of roast beef halfway into his mouth.

Remus looked up from his plate to find that they were all staring at him, waiting for an answer. He could feel his face getting warmer and knew his ears were probably turning red. “Oh...um...uh. I--I don’t really--I mean, can’t. Oh, I’m not really sure,” he lied before shoving a piece of steak into his mouth as some sort of stalling technique. Remus immediately felt like spitting it back out, but there was nothing he could really do now. He saw out of the corner of his eye Marlene turning away her gaze to talk to Mary and Lily.

When Remus looked down at his dinner, he noticed he’d only made a small dent in the amount of food he’d gotten. Slowly pushing it away seemed like the best option right now. How could he possibly keep such a huge secret for the next seven years? Or possibly just all of his life? It seemed quite impossible. Thankfully, the others had seemed to accept his excuse for now, but it would surely come up again.

The young wizard opened his book up, flipping through to the page where he had last left off.

It wasn’t very long after Professor Dumbledore’s surprised visit that Remus had gone into his father’s study to look through the books there. Most of the room had been covered in an layer of dust which had caused the poor boy to sneeze an odd amount of times. His father rarely came in here as he had moved most of his work to the living room where Lyall Lupin claimed that the lighting was best. Remus had spent half of the day on his corduroy-covered knees, looking for a book that best suited him. There had been so many different types that fascinated him. A lot of them were on different types of creatures that had weird names, such as boggarts. Others were about werewolves, something he knew so much about, and at the same time, didn’t. Once he had gotten the nerve to open one up, but he closed it quickly at the first couple words he found.

_Beast, monster, dangerous._

Shoving it back in the slot and moving on had seemed best to him. Remus had shuffled over to some books next to a rather large desk that was covered with cobwebs with half a dozen scattered pencils and other forgotten objects on top of it. That’s when he’d found it. Hogwarts: a History, a wonderful book full of information about the famous wizarding school, was laying on top of the desk. Since then, Remus had read it four and a half times, to be exact. He’d studied it, even memorizing some of the facts in it with vigor. If it would help him blend in more, then he’d read it ten more times. His books for classes and such had been read, too. Remus had plenty of free time.

Before Hogwarts, he’d been homeschooled and rarely even traveled outside of the comfort of their small home. Socializing was something he’d been kept away from. His poor parents were so afraid of the mere chance of him getting caught. His mother had been the most cautious. There were times when they went outside, taking him with them if they were just going to the daily farmer’s market in the center of the town. A sudden tap on his shoulder made Remus jump, his book slipping through his fingers and landing with a dull thump at his feet. When he turned around, he found a boy staring at him from behind thick rimmed glasses.

“Remus Lupin?” His voice had a slight squeak to it. “I’m here to, uh, escort you to Professor Dumbledore’s office.”

“Right! Of course.” Remus quickly stood and followed him out of the Great Hall. Remus followed the boy out of the Great Hall, the feeling of many eyes following him. As they made their way through the castle, Remus was able to see armored suits along the walls and many portraits. Remus kept his eyes pinned on a couple when he thought he saw them move. When they finally made it there, the two boys were met by a large gargoyle. Remus looked this way and that, trying to find the door before the Prefect finally yelled out, “Jelly Slugs!” The boy’s voice had a significant squeak to it this time, and he quickly cleared his throat in embarrassment.

“You can head on up there. Professor Dumbledore will be waiting for you.” The Prefect nodded, adjusting his glasses before making his way back they way they had came.

The sound of groaning caused Remus to look back to notice that the large statue had now disappeared and showed a spiral staircase leading upwards. Remus took his time walking up the stairs, sliding his hand up the smooth banister. A number of cobwebs were attached the ceiling. At the top of the staircase was a large door. Remus knocked three times. The door slowly slid open on the third knock.

“Professor…” He looked inside before taking a step through the doorway.

The office was large, with many curious objects on tables and in cabinets. The walls were lined with rows of books, and perched on one of shelves was the Sorting Hat. It must’ve already been put back already. His eyes traveled around the room, hands hooked behind his back. He was very careful not to touch anything. A few puffs were emitted every few seconds from a strange object of some sort in the corner. He walked closer, only to be distracted by a flutter from the large desk to his right. Perched on the edge of the desk sat a bright red bird, messing with the feathers under its large wings. Remus slowly crept closer until the bird finally noticed him when he wasn’t even ten inches away.

“Hello,” Remus murmured to the bird, admiring the beauty of it. The red faded until it hit the tail where it became nearly golden. He slowly extended his hand with caution, his fingers stretched towards the bird. The bird seemed wary of him for a moment before it reached out and nudged his finger with it’s beak. It was so beautiful it looked like it belonged at Hogwarts. What kind of bird was it though? Remus had never seen it’s kind before, not even in books.

A few footfalls sounded from the top banister of the office, Professor Dumbledore slowly revealing himself as he peered down at the young boy. “Well, I can see you’ve met Fawkes.” The Headmaster made his way slowly down the stairs and around the back of the desk.

When Remus realized he was still petting the affectionate bird, he drew his hand back. “Oh, sorry.”

Dumbledore chuckled. “There’s no need to be sorry. Fawkes enjoys any attention he can receive, if the other person is able that is.”

“What species of bird is he?” Remus asked as Professor Dumbledore.

“He’s a phoenix,” Dumbledore implored, waving a hand. “Mr. Lupin, please seat yourself. Would you like a Sherbet Lemon?” Professor Dumbledore opened up a small brass container to show the hard yellow candy.

“No, thank you,” Remus rejected as he sat down on the seat behind him, his hands squeezing the arms rests. He stared at the bird a bit longer. A phoenix? That's absurd....

“Well, I’m quite sure you know why you are here.” Professor Dumbledore popped a Sherbet Lemon into his own mouth.

His attention immediately switched back to the Headmaster. “To discuss my…” What did one call such a thing though?

“...situation,” Dumbledore finished. “As you heard me mention in the Great Hall, the Whomping Willow has been added to the grounds. It is to serve as a protection for you and your secret.” Professor Dumbledore’s eyes brightened under his half moon spectacles as if he was extremely proud of this idea. Remus leaned forward a bit, eyebrows furrowed.

“What is the Whomping Willow though? It sounds like a type of tree,” Remus asked.

“Precisely. The Whomping Willow is a species of tree that is able to animate itself against enemies,” Professor Dumbledore responded as he slowly closed the candy container.

“How would it know that I’m not an enemy though, Headmaster?”

Professor Dumbledore leaned forward, a smile appearing. “It doesn’t, but see, that is the clever idea of this solution. There is a knot at the bottom of the trunk of the tree the once pushed the tree will freeze so you can get into the passageway that resides below it.” He leaned back, hands folded in his lap. “Ms. Pomfrey, who is the nurse of this school, will be able to assist you.” Dumbledore stood, walking towards one of the windows where the moon could clearly be seen through it. “This Sunday will be the first full moon for you here, won’t it? In that case, before dark, you shall proceed to the infirmary where Ms. Pomfrey will escort you to a sort of building past the premises of the school.”

“Building?” Remus asked. “Wouldn’t someone be able to find me there?”

Professor Dumbledore smiled and leaned back into his chair. “I think it is safe to say that I put in some, we shall call it, protection to make sure no one can enter from outside of it,” he explained as Fawkes flew up away from the desk towards the window where he stood. “Remus, I’m quite sure that during your stay at Hogwarts, your condition will be well contained to only a few people. I will have you know that only a few of the teachers have been sworn to secrecy. Professor McGonagall will be willing to answer any questions you may have, as well as Nurse Pomfrey. Now, I must dismiss you. Your fellow upperclassmen are soon to be escorting you to your dorms,” Professor Dumbledore finally concluded their little session.

Remus nodded, quickly standing up. “Thank you, Professor.” The walk out of the office was quick until he made it to the bottom of the long staircase, the gargoyle already moved aside for his exit. Remus wandered the halls, trying to remember the way he had came before he heard voices down the corridor.

“First year Gryffindors this way!” Remus heard the shout in the distance and hurried towards the sound, careful to not get left behind. As soon as the crowd of Gryffindors went by, Remus slid into the crowd, hoping he went unnoticed.

“Oi, Lupin!” Remus turned to see James jog over to his side, an object in his hands. “You forgot this during the feast,” James pointed out as he shoved it into Remus’ arms. Remus glanced down, recognizing the cover of the book. How could have he forgotten such a thing?

“Oh, thank you.”

“No problem, but what did Dumbledore want to speak to you about?” James asked as he got into step.

Remus could feel himself freeze up in the inside, freaking out over the million excuses that went through his mind. He’s thought this through enough, but why won’t the answer show itself? Finally pressured by James open stare, Remus blurted out, “my mum is terribly ill.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. What does she have?”

The inquisitive mind couldn’t possibly know how Remus felt as if his stomach was being twisted in every direction. _I have to get this right_ , Remus reminded himself. “I’m not sure yet. That’s why I’m visiting her this Sunday,” he specified, speeding up the end. He nearly started grinning at the perfect excuse for his lycanthropy. “She’ll be fine though of course.”

James ran a hand through his hair, tugging at the several knots his fingers snagged on. “That’s good,” he replied as the students came to a halt at a portrait.

The portrait was odd, Remus concluded. The painting was of an overweight woman who seemed to be middle aged, but that wasn’t the odd part. It shouldn’t have startled Remus as much when the lady started to move and talk.

“Password?” The woman asked.

She seemed to be wearing clothes dated from the sixteenth or seventeenth century. A red haired boy stepped up from the crowd, saying it very clearly for all the first years to remember. “Voluntas viventium,” he emphasized as the portrait was opened. All of them scrambled through the opening very quickly. Remus could hear Peter clearly as he complained about how he was never going to remember that. Remus looked around for the other first year Gryffindor, but he was no where to be found. Remus quickly dismissed it as they were led into a large room that was accompanied by a large fireplace and some furniture in various points of the room. The head boy led the boys up to the boy’s side of the dormitories while a very tall girl with short brown hair showed the girls their rooms.

Remus and the two others trekked up the staircase of the tower until they finally found their room of four beds...and a bored Sirius Black who had an open magazine gripped in his hands.

“Took you guys long enough, you know,” Sirius declared while peeking over the top of the pages. He laid along a bed that he had seemed to have already picked out for himself. He had propped himself against one of the bed pillows, feet crossed. His robes were thrown over the bedpost.

James closed the door behind them while Peter went to go claim his own bed. “When did you even get here? You told me you were going to the restroom. And how? We were just told the password, ourselves,” he inquired before sitting on the bed closest to the door. “This one’s mine, by the way.”

The only bed left was in the far corner that was placed between two slim windows.Remus quickly walked over and began to unpack his possessions.

“Well, I wanted first pick, so I bribed the girl prefect to give me the password.” Sirius raised the magazine again. “It wasn’t so hard.”

The layout of the room was pretty simple. Sirius and James had the beds closest to the door while Peter and Remus had the farthest. The beds had posters where deep red curtains were hung from. A chest was placed in front of a couple of the beds while a couple nightstands were placed in between others. The room, being in the tower, was round so all of the ends of the beds faced each other.

“You seriously,” James immediately stopped himself with a heavy sigh while Sirius just stared at him a bit too innocently. “I’m not going to be able to use that word anymore. It’s forbidden now,” he declared as he began to mess with the curtains.

Remus sat down on the edge of the bed as he refolded his shirts and socks that had been unfurled during the trip here. Most of his shirts consisted of plain colored tees or sweaters that smelled like an attic. It reminded him of home since most of these were once his father’s. He carefully packed them away into the drawers. The pyjamas that were gathered in his small arms were cotton soft and warm. The small boy stood up and quickly walked out of the room to the restroom, hoping the other boys didn’t think he was too strange and too alien to them.

**Sirius**

The room was a bit cold in the morning. Sirius hugged the blankets closer to himself, knowing he had to get up at some point. That one small boy that read a lot was already up and dressed. He’d been up for about an hour now, disappearing here and there for the restroom. Sirius cursed his ability to be up at such an early hour. How could one achieve such a task? Sirius could barely even open his eyes.

The momentary memory that they were at a school of magic and thus had classes that would involve such a thing was enough to make Sirius at least sit up. The sun that was rising up on the horizon, shone through the window and cast a few streaks across the length of his bed. He quickly wiped the sleep out of his eyes to see James was still dozing, snoring softly. His hair stood up at a weird angle beside his ear from where he had slept on it. With a yawn, Sirius quickly stretched behind him and chucked one of his pillows at the sleeping figure. His aim was spot on because it hit the poor boy right on the head who was in mid-snore.

James squinted at the sun-lit room, searching for the perpetrator until his eyes found a smiling Sirius who was slipping out of bed. “Why? Why would you do such a thing?” he asked, arm thrown over his face as he laid back against his pillows.

“We’re going to be late to breakfast if we don’t hurry up,” Sirius pointed out as he grabbed his clothes. James sighed before rolling off, his clothes wrinkled and a bit too large on his frame.

“I guess that is a proper reason for getting me up at such an untimely hour,” he grumbled, wiping at his left eye as he peered across the room. His gaze fell on an already dressed Remus Lupin who was gathering his school supplies in a hurry. His light brown hair was in a disarray and he seemed frantic to get everything organized. When Sirius looked over, he could have laughed at the number of quills Remus was keeping track of with one behind his ear and a few propped between his fingers. Then his eyes wandered to the other boy where a heavy snore could be located. The curtains were closed around the bed, but someone had to wake him up. James must have realized it too, but look at Sirius with a small what-can-you-do shrug.

“We need to get going,” he reminded him before padding over to the door, opening it slowly. He had one foot out the door with one hand gripping the handle loosely. James nodded before walking over, hugging his clothes to his chest. It didn’t take long before they were at the Great Hall, sitting in the same spots as they were last night. Sirius was stabbing his sausage link.

James and Sirius were the first ones there, not really knowing where Remus and Peter were. “Huh. I thought Lupin would be here first,” James pointed out as he leaned forward, staring up at the High Table. “Who do you think teaches what?” he asked, pointing at a very small figure at the end of the table.

“He definitely teaches something like herbology,” Sirius guessed. The man beside him was rather tall with a large scar that curved down from the top of his eyebrow to the bottom of his jaw. It would’ve been nearly impossible to miss at a first look of him. “He could be teaching Care of Magical Creatures because of the large scar.”

James studied the salt and pepper haired man who wore thick black gloves over his hands. A sudden movement beside him caused Sirius to look away from the scarred professor to see a rumpled Remus sat down, his sigh even more drastic than his appearance. A quill was still perched behind his ear as if he’d forgotten about it. His tie was askew. It wasn’t even tied correctly. A single piece of hair stuck up on the side of his head, curling significantly.

“You okay there, Remus?” Sirius asked as the boy shoveled a large pile of scrambled eggs onto plate.

“Yeah, I’m just a bit tired, you could say.” Remus sighed and ruffled his hair a bit, but the single strand still stayed sticking up.

The last one there was Peter who dropped himself down beside James. “Thanks again for waking me up, Remus,” Peter remarked. Remus just nodded in response, eating as fast as he could.

It wasn’t long before owls began to fly in, dropping numerous items along the way. A small white owl made its way to James, carrying a small letter. The letter dropped onto James’ lap. “Oh. I forgot to send a letter to mum when I got here,” he mumbled, guiltily, a bit afraid to open it. He slowly slipped his fingers beneath the flap and pulled out the letter that looked rather lengthy.

Sirius watched as a few owls swooped down towards the table, picking up various food items before going on their way. One that landed on the Gryffindor table pecked at red-haired boy’s fingers when he was in the middle of reaching for a slice of toast. The bird grabbed the toast before flying off. “That bloody bird does this every time,” the ginger exclaimed before reaching for a different piece of toast. A small owl flew by, releasing an object as it passed over their heads. A red letter slowly landed onto his plate. Sirius swallowed hard. It wasn’t hard to guess what it was for. He slowly reached out, barely even touching the tip of it before it unraveled by itself. All Sirius could do now was embrace himself for the worst of it.

“SIRIUS BLACK! YOU ARE A DISGRACE. YOU HAVE BROUGHT DISHONOR ONTO THIS FAMILY. UPON YOUR CHEAPENED DECISION, YOU HAVE INSULTED THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS. I WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH A SON THAT WILL SOCIALIZE WITH BLOOD TRAITORS, MUDBLOODS, AND HALF BREEDS ALIKE.”

The letter began to smoke as the message went on. Much of the population in the Great Hall had turned silent and wide eyed at the message. Sniggering could be heard from the Slytherin table where a few students were conversing amongst themselves, grins on their faces. Narcissa Black was as neutral about the situation as possible, looking as if she were ignoring it. Andromeda Black looked horrified for Sirius, the letter reaching her ears loud and clear.

“I HOPE YOU THINK ABOUT THE SHAME YOU HAVE PUT ON US. DON’T BOTHER OWLING US FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS,” Walburga Black’s voice ended as the letter burst into flames, disintegrating in seconds.

A stunned silence rocked the table considerably. Peter stared at Sirius, unabashedly. Remus continued to stare at his plate, fork forgotten in his hand. James looked at it Sirius, concerned at the anger and humiliation he found in his friend’s face. Sirius could used over a hundred words to describe what he was feeling. Humiliated was one of the most prominent of the feelings. He kept his chin high, his fingers gripping the edge of the table. Nothing more could be done for it though. Walburga Black had said her part on the situation, and Sirius would leave it at that. He wasn’t the one to talk about his feelings. No, bottling it up suited him so much more.

For the rest of breakfast, it was quite awkward. James had kept trying to lighten the mood with no success. Remus ate nearly two plates that had been filled with food. He only stopped when a couple of the other students were beginning to look at him strangely. Peter tried asking Sirius questions about the Howler, but was answered by James who kicked him in the shin a considerable amount of times. After a while, Peter stopped asking questions and would just glare at James.

Sirius stood up when he was finished, feeling eyes trained onto the back of his head. A feeling told him that if he looked behind him, he’d find a few choice relatives staring at him. James stood as well, not even done with his plate yet. He’d picked at it throughout the half hour.

“We should go grab our stuff,” James said before walking with Sirius out of the Great Hall. It didn’t take long for the duo to travel back to their dorms for their school supplies. They didn’t talk much to each other. James tried a couple times before letting the situation go for the time being.

Finding their way to the Charms classroom hadn’t been so bad. It had taken them only two tries to get on the right staircase until it began to move. Most of the students were already seated when they stumbled in. Sirius peered around the three parallel rows of desks, nudging James towards two empty ones towards the upper portion of the classroom since all of the ones near the back were already taken. On the left Sirius sat a small Hufflepuff boy with short, curly black hair. His clothes were rumpled with the sleeves pulled up to his elbows. He rolled his wand back and forth on his desk, obviously bored. Sirius looked over James to see who the other person was. A Slytherin with light red hair--who Sirius could remember from the Sorting Ceremony as Avery. He was in the middle of a conversation with the Slytherin girl beside him. The professor that walked in was quite a short fellow. Sirius recalled the conversation from breakfast, nearly grinning at their failed attempt at guessing what the teacher taught.

“I am Professor Flitwick and welcome to Charms,” he called out as he stepped up onto a large pile of books so he could oversee the room. “Today, we shall practice that art of holding the wand correctly...” his voice trailed off as Sirius’ mind wandered. _“_

_We must hurry, Sirius. This can’t take all day,” Walburga Black urged, her hand wrapped tightly around Sirius’ upper arm. \_

_T_ _hey’ve hadn’t been there for too long. His owl had been picked and most of his books were already bought. Similar situations were happening around them. Several children that were accompanied by their parents were going about the shops, arms filled with items. Sirius watched as a few of them huddled around a shop window, peering inside around their enclosed hands. He felt envious of them. A small hand tugged on Sirius’ other sleeve. He looked down to see his younger brother, Regulus, smiling up at him. His other hand was pointed at the cart where a small Screech Owl peered around, adjusting its wings slightly._

 _“_ _Sirius, what are you going to name him?” he asked rather excitedly._

 _“_ _Why don’t you name him, Reg?” Sirius suggested as they stopped in front of an old shop. The sign read: Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. It was written in bright gold letters above the door. Mrs. Black tugged on her son’s arm before entering the shop where a small bell went off as soon as the door swung open. It echoed amongst the almost empty building--save for a single chair._

 _“_ _Good afternoon!” A voice rang out. Sirius’ eyes found a thin, wiry man stepped out before them. His eyes were the most striking feature on him. They were a significant pale color. “Ah, yes. Walburga Black, I remember you. I believe your wand was--”_

_“--no need for memories now. I just need Sirius get his wand, quickly,” she interrupted, emphasizing ‘quickly’ with a tipped up chin. “_

_I see, I see.” Mr. Ollivander reached forward. “May I see your dominant arm?” Sirius took a second to raise his right arm. The old man quickly measured it before letting go as the measuring tape sprung to life. It measured as much of Sirius’ body as it could, like his leg, torso, head, etc. After finding the length of his fingers, the tape clattered onto the floor. Sirius quickly dropped his own arm against his side. Small scratching noises sounded from behind Sirius as Regulus began to pet the small owl, his fingers poking through the spaces between the wires of the cage._

_Mr. Ollivander reappeared shortly. In his hands was a small box, the lid askew. “I believe this will be to your liking.” He opened the box up the rest of the way before a long, thin wand appeared. “Ebony, dragon heartstring, ten and a half inches. Light and agile. Very fitting for a young man such as yourself,” the man murmured. Sirius slowly lifted the wand, flicking it slightly with a quick movement of his wrist. Mr. Ollivander smiled with satisfaction. “On the first try, too. This wand was made for you, Sirius Black.”_

**Peter**

The rest of the day had gone by without too many incidents. Peter had kept himself practically attached to Remus’ side. They sat next to each other in Charms and Transfiguration. During most of the duration, Peter would make small comments under his breath and peer over at Remus’ paper.

There was one thing that Peter Pettigrew was certain of, and it was that Remus Lupin was a genius when compared to Peter. He would’ve been surprised if Remus didn’t already know half of the curriculum. During Charms, he had no problem with holding his wand and being one of the first to be praised by Professor Flitwick. When they had gone onto Transfiguration after lunch, Remus had received praise from Professor McGonagall for knowing the wizarding alphabet already. After that, Peter was quick to copy Remus’ notes. His quill nearly snapped under the pressure.

Sirius Black and James Potter were still out of the reach of friendship. They had sat behind Remus and Peter in Transfiguration. The snide comments they made throughout the class had made Peter grin. One was towards a Ravenclaw girl who looked very odd. She had very thick, bright blue rimmed glasses with different colored string wrapped around the temples. Numerous flowers were pinned from the top of her right ear towards the end of her braid. Peter was so sure that Remus was going to turn around and cast a hex on the two.

Professor McGonagall had been the one to interrupt, asking Sirius if he could recite a transformation formula. “Since you seem so well informed already that you think you don’t need to pay attention, why don’t you recite it for us?” She asked, eyebrows raised. Sirius and James had quieted down after that. Peter still chuckled whenever he saw the strange girl.

Their next class that was listed on their time tables was Defence Against the Dark Arts. They had made it onto the right staircase in time to venture to the third floor. The room they went into was dark even though it was surrounded by a couple large windows. The dragon skeleton that hung from the ceiling creeped Peter out terrifically. He kept his eye on it as Remus led Peter towards a seat in the back. “How do you think it got there?” Peter whispered to Remus as they took their seat. Remus shrugged. He was quite fascinated by the specimen it seemed.

When the students had filed in, a middle-aged man walked into the room, fixing the gloves on his hands. “Welcome to Defence Against the Dark Arts,” he said in a strange accent. It sounded as if it were native of Romania. “I am Professor Zaliger. This shall be my first year teaching.” Peter studied the scar the cut across his face before his eyes cut to the dragon skeleton then back again. This happened multiple times until a light bulb went off in the boy’s head.

Peter leaned very close to Remus, eyes pinned on the professor. “Do you think he was the one that killed the dragon?” he whispered quite loudly.

Remus shook his head quickly. “No. I wouldn’t think so…” But something in his mind made Remus start to think of the many possibilities as well.

It wasn’t long after while Professor Zaliger was writing a few words onto the board that a ball of crushed parchment made its way onto their desk.

_**Zaliger a dragon hunter?** _

Peter and Remus peered over to the right of them where James waved at them slightly from a couple desks away, a nod pointed towards the crumbled paper. Remus quickly took the note away from Peter. He quickly wrote a few words before throwing it back at them when the professor wasn’t looking.

_**Be realistic. He couldn’t possibly be one.** _

James showed the response to Sirius with an exasperated expression.

_**Explain the skeleton then, O’ Smart One.** _

Remus snorted softly when the note hit Peter in the face.

_**Could’ve been here before he showed up.** _

They didn’t get a response until the end of class when the other two boys ran up to them. James was throwing the wad of parchment up into the air as if it were a ball. “I could bet you ten galleons that he has hunted dragons,” James promised as soon as they were out of the classroom.

Remus scoffed at the notion. “Then you’d lose. How could a teacher possibly have been a former dragon hunter?”

James shrugged. “Dumbledore could’ve been one, too, for all we know.”

“There aren’t such things as dragon slayers! I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Remus exclaimed as they made their way down the staircase.

“How do you explain his scar then?” James asked.

Remus sighed, hugging his books tighter to his chest. “It could’ve been something else. An accident might have occurred. Why are you so hung up on him being a dragon slayer?” Peter watched as James’ grin widened.

“It would be cool to know someone who's met a live dragon. My dad used to joke that one guarded the grounds.” Remus didn’t answer.

They kept in silence until they stepped onto the lawn where Flying class was being held. Brooms were laid across the ground. Peter quickly picked one to his preference, standing next to it as if he won a prize. He watched as Remus stopped to stand to the right of him, keeping a careful distance from the broom as if not to step on it by accident. He looked quite uncomfortable. Sirius joined him and then James who looked even happier than Peter at the thought flying. James quickly picked up his broom, testing it out by flipping it this way and that.

“Please put down your broom,” a stern woman ordered as she marched onto the lawn, shoulders back. She immediately reminded Peter of Professor McGonagall. “I am Madam Hooch and will be your instructor for flying.” She eyed all of the students with a thoughtful gaze. “For now, stick your right hand over your broom and order it to fly into your hand by saying ‘up!’”

Immediately, everyone began.

Peter stared at his broom with a look of concentration. “UP!” The broom wouldn’t leave the ground no matter how many times he said it. “Up!” He tried again with no luck.

Remus stuck his hand out, tentatively. “Up,” he ordered. The broom rippled a bit before stilling.

Sirius had gotten it to float about a foot above the ground before it fell back over. There were only a few that had the broom in their hands on the first try.

James was one of those people. The victorious grin he wore told Peter so.

“Up!” Remus nearly shouted at the broom. It moved a bit before flying upwards and hitting Remus across the face. The boy fell onto the ground out of surprise, his hands immediately going to his nose. “Ow,” he murmured as a trickle of blood came out. Many of the Slytherins laughed. Even a couple Gryffindors did. Marlene snorted at the boy, her broom tucked into her hands.

“You alright there?” Madam Hooch called out. Remus quickly nodded before standing up, wiping his sleeve across his face until there was no trace of a nose bleed there. A rather bright red mark formed across his face though. It took Peter a few more tries until the broom safely travelled into his open hand. “Now, everyone mount your broom and when I blow my whistle, jump off the ground.” She raised her whistle. “Only rise a few feet before coming back down.”

The whistle blew.

Peter kicked off as hard as he could until his broom obeyed. His broomstick rose a couple feet into the air at a satisfying pace. He white knuckled the stick until he was sure he wasn’t going to fall.

Remus was the only one out of the group that was having trouble. His broom only lifted a couple inches before falling limp in his hands. “Why won’t this…” he trailed off. He tried again, successfully rising a foot until the broom tipped forward and dumped Remus head-first onto the ground. Peter even flinched at the small squeak the boy emitted of surprise.

Sirius dipped down on his broom, catching the back of Remus’ robes and lifting him up until he was nearly steady on his feet. “Maybe you aren’t meant for flying.” Peter landed on his feet.

“This is getting ridiculous,” Remus complained as he rubbed at his head. The stray piece of hair that had been sticking up most of the day had finally vanished, Peter noticed.

**James**

The fact that they still had detention tonight after dinner made James groan, pushing the cover of his textbook against the top of his forehead in dismay. The teachers had given tons of homework even though it was only the first day of classes. _There is too much work to even get done in one night and I still have detention to go to_ , James groaned to himself with dismay.

When they finished their dinner, the four of them got up and walked to McGonagall’s office. The girls had already left a few minutes before. When James got there, he quickly knocked on the door, his foot tapping against the ground, impatiently.

“Come in.” McGonagall called from within the small room. Once inside, everyone stood there awkwardly waiting for Professor McGonagall orders. “You will be cleaning my classroom today. There are dusting feathers, scrubbing brushes, water, and towels to be used. No magic is allowed. I expect no one will cause anymore trouble,” McGonagall gave everyone her infamous stern look. “Now get to work.” Marlene, Mary, Lily, Remus, and Peter scurried out of the office, while James and Sirius slowly walked out behind them.

James and Sirius walked over to get the buckets and brushed, begrudgingly. They immediately got to work on the desks, scrubbing away as fast as they could. It hadn’t even been five minutes before James ducked his brush into the water and pulled it out quickly to splash water at a quiet Sirius.

“Oi! What was that for?” Sirius whispered at him, not wanting to raise suspicion from McGonagall in the other room. Jokingly, Sirius pushed James slightly, making him spill even more water. James dipped his fingers in the water bucket and flicked it at Sirius, the water hitting him across the face.

It was a challenge.

It was trouble.

Sirius knew it, but he didn’t care. He took a handful of water and flung it at James. Mary had started staring at them, exasperated. Her brush had stopped moving when James threw his at Sirius.

“Do you want to get us all in more trouble?” Remus whispered from his spot. He seemed like he was holding back amusement, but his overall expression was stern.

James and Sirius looked to each other with a nod. “Sorry, Remus,” mutter James as the two turned back around. They each grabbed one side of the bucket, tipping one fourth of it on top of Remus’ head.

“Are you kidding me?” he sputtered, his brush dropping with a clutter. His hair was matted against his head, the top of his robes soaked. “I didn’t even participate yesterday, and yet, I’m here. I don’t want another one.”

“What’s that saying?” Sirius asked himself aloud. “Association something? Something of association?”

James leaned against the desk. “Ah, yes! You were guilty by association then, Lupin,” he informed, joyfully. A grin soon broke over Remus’s face as he took his bucket and threw most of the water at them. James ducked while Sirius jumped behind a desk for cover.

“Cut it out! You’re going to get us in even more trouble with your little fun fest here,” Lily reprimanded. “You three are going to have to clean this up.” Sirius mimicked her, splashing some water on her when her back was turned. The look in her eyes spelled trouble for him. Lily quickly grabbed the rest of the bucket, flinging it blindly at Sirius, but he wasn’t the victim in this attack.

“What’d I do?” James flung water out of his bucket back at Lily.

Who knew that two battles would start within the first week of Hogwarts? Water was soon coating all the surrounding desks and floors. The water buckets were practically empty. The echoes of footsteps in the hall were louder than the scattered laughter.

“McGonagall’s coming!” Marlene warned. Everyone scrambled back to whatever they were doing and James, Sirius, and Lily were left standing by the mess as McGonagall entered.

“What is going on here?” she gasped out. “I am extremely disappointed at the three of you. Ten points from Gryffindor.” Professor McGonagall adjusted her robes and headed towards the door. “Everyone is dismissed except Potter, Evans, and Black. They have to stay and clean up the water works.” And with that, she slammed the door behind her.

“Marlene, Mary can you-” Lily tried to plead with them but they left without even saying good bye. “Now look what you’ve done!” Lily threw her towel at James’ head before starting to clean up one side of the mess. James just gave Sirius a small grin before he turned towards the ground, scrubbing it with the brush. No one spoke until they got back to Gryffindor tower.

“Do you even know how silly the two of you are? Losing us so many points within the first couple days of school, and a detention at that! My parents are going to kill me,” Lily yelled, catching the attention of a few stragglers in the common room.

“Well, you shouldn’t have joined in if you didn’t want to get in trouble!” Sirius put his hands up in defense. A glare was her only response before she left.

“Someone’s a little upset.” James laughed and plumped down on the couch, running a hand through his hair.

“It looked like she enjoyed it until she got caught,” Sirius pointed out.

“True.” James’ head snapped back up as a sudden thought made it into his head. “What do you think we should do about Professor Zaliger?”

“What do you mean?”

“I really want to know if Pettigrew was right or not.”

Sirius tapped his finger against his chin as he hiked his feet onto the table in front of him. “We could always investigate.”

James’ eyes lit up as the ideas poured through his mind. “We should gather as much information as we can for the next week or so, then we investigate even further. For instance, we look in his office.” His expression turned sly as he looked over at Sirius.

Sirius grinned, leaning back against the couch. “Brilliant. Truly brilliant. Maybe we can even get him to show us a dragon.”

“At Hogwarts?”

“Well, there is a giant squid in the lake outside. So, I don’t see how a dragon would be any different.”

“True.”

“Do you think we should involve the other two?” Sirius questioned.

James shook his head with a breathy laugh. “No way. I have ten galleons on the table. I’m not losing to someone who can barely even fly on a broomstick.”

Sirius snorted as he stood from the couch, arms raised in a long stretch. “True,” he said this time. “We should go up. Our investigation shall start tomorrow.” The two boys traveled up to their dorm, collapsing on their own beds. Sirius was the first to fall asleep, a snore alerting James of that. James stayed up for much longer, his thoughts keeping him wide awake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was totally rushed, but oh well.  
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you continue.
> 
> P.S.  
> Sorry about the spelling/grammar mistakes. Haven't had a chance to go through it thoroughly. 
> 
> I also feel really bad about giving James and Peter such short parts. Hopefully I'll be able to make theirs longer in the next chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter should be up on Thursday.
> 
> If you'd like to submit a headcanon and/or become a co-writer/beta for this story, message me on tumblr. My username is baro-phobia.


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